gantry

noun

gan·​try ˈgan-trē 

plural gantries

1

: a frame for supporting barrels

2

: a frame structure raised on side supports so as to span over or around something: such as

a

: a platform made to carry a traveling crane and supported by towers or side frames running on parallel tracks

also : a movable structure with platforms at different levels used for erecting and servicing rockets before launching

b

: a structure spanning several railroad tracks and displaying signals for each

Examples of gantry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Toyota continued traveling south, striking a light pole and coming to a final rest after hitting a highway gantry post, according to state police. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 15 July 2024

The first Ariane 6 rocket is pictured inside the mobile gantry on its launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 9 July 2024

The ship-to-shore (STS) cranes have come under scrutiny over the past year as ongoing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China have persisted, with various government entities sharing concern that the gantries pose a national security risk. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 1 July 2024

Several hundred million dollars have already been spent on developing infrastructure and erecting equipment, including overhead gantries, at more than a hundred toll-reading sites below Sixtieth Street. —William Finnegan, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gauntree, reshaping (perhaps conformed to tre tree entry 1) of ganter, borrowed from Anglo-French *ganter (Old French —Picard— gantier, Old French chantier), going back to Latin cantērius, canthērius "horse of poor quality, rafter, prop for vines," akin to Greek kanthḗlia "panniers," (ónos) kanthḗlios "pack ass," both loanwords from an undetermined Mediterranean language

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gantry

noun

gan·​try ˈgan-trē 

plural gantries

1

: a platform made to carry a traveling crane and supported by towers running on parallel tracks

2

: a movable structure used for erecting and servicing rockets before launching

3

: a structure spanning several railroad tracks and displaying signals